New Dress
by XpaperplaneX
Summary: Sequel to Changes. It's time for Shin-Ra's Annual Tri-Service Ball; a gala event for SOLDIER, Turks, and the regular army. If only Cloud had a date who could take him.


_**Title:**_ New Dress  
><em><strong>Author:<strong>_ XpaperplaneX  
><em><strong>Rating:<strong>_ NC-17  
><em><strong>Word Count:<strong>_ ~12 300  
><em><strong>Pairing:<strong>_ Sephiroth/Cloud  
><em><strong>Genre:<strong>_ romance  
><em><strong>Warnings:<strong>_ smut  
><em><strong>Also Contains:<strong>_ tentacles, dominance and submission, cross-dressing  
><em><strong>Type:<strong>_ one-shot  
><em><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>_ I do not own FFVII and make no money from this work.  
><em><strong>Summary:<strong>_ Sequel to _Changes_. It's time for Shin-Ra's Annual Tri-Service Ball; a gala event for SOLDIER, Turks, and the regular army. If only Cloud had a date who could take him.

A/N: This is set about six months after _Changes_. The tentacle hair is less of a focus, but it's still there. And I couldn't think of a title, so I'm stealing more song names.

She's gonna look her best...

XXX

"Hey, Strife! You still not going to the party tonight?"

"No, Hollister, I'm _still_ not going to the party tonight," Cloud sighed as he grabbed his water bottle and headed for the gym exit.

"C'mon, there's a bunch of us gonna be there without chicks. It's an open bar, Strife. O-pen bar." Hollister and a few other guys followed him out to the locker room.

"Holy shit! Open bar! Why didn't anybody tell me that a thousand times already?" Not even an open bar could detract from the fact that Sephiroth would be there with Scarlet on his arm instead of him.

"Well, it sure as shit hasn't sunk in, 'cause otherwise you wouldn't be wimping out on us."

"Look, big parties just aren't my thing." Cloud got his locker open and froze. A keycard was propped up against his boots. There was a note tucked underneath, so he pulled it out and glanced over it. "I've gotta go," he said, grabbing the keycard and his things. "Have a good time tonight. Don't kill yourselves at the bar."

Cloud jogged off, leaving his protesting friends behind. He supposed that Sephiroth wanted to get laid before the ball. He often let Cloud shower at his place—he had more time for grooming the way that Sephiroth wanted him to that way—but he had never left him his keycard before. Cloud couldn't help but feel a tiny bit resentful, though. If this was meant to make up for the fact that he'd be drinking and dancing with Scarlet all night, he had really missed the mark. He didn't care that Sephiroth didn't want to go with her; Zack told him that the president always made them go together because Sephiroth never had a date. It still hurt. And he _could_ have had a date this year, Cloud fumed, and he banged on the elevator button to take him up to the SOLDIER residences.

"Or not," Cloud sighed and slumped against the wall of the elevator when it arrived. There were a handful of guys in the various security departments who were out, but he supposed that Sephiroth couldn't risk it, considering his position. It would also be highly inappropriate once he got into SOLIDER and Sephiroth had actual authority over him. It was best to keep their relationship a secret.

It would be nice to have a proper shower, at least. Even if Sephiroth was only having him over so he could have a quick fuck before running off to the ball. Maybe he'd let him stay there while he was gone; a night of watching movies on the big screen TV wouldn't be so bad. Then, of course, Sephiroth would come home and tell him all about it. Unless he booked a room at the hotel to take Scarlet to—just how far did he take the charade?

He could have kicked himself. Sephiroth wouldn't cheat on him. He wouldn't. He was only going to the stupid party because he had to, and he was only going with stupid Scarlet because he had to. This was exactly the sort of thinking that Sephiroth was always telling him he needed to stop if he wanted to be a SOLDIER. Sephiroth said it was one of their most important traits: a single SOLDIER had to be able to convince civilians that he could defeat the monsters that had been terrorizing them, and he needed self-confidence to do that.

Sephiroth appreciated him and wanted to be with him, and he made both those facts abundantly clear. This was just a company function that he had to go to as a part of his job. With that thought firmly in mind, Cloud headed down the hall to Sephiroth's apartment and swiped his keycard with confidence.

The apartment was silent, which wasn't much of a surprise. Why leave a keycard if he was going to be home? So Cloud left his things neatly by the door—the note said he didn't need anything—and headed for the bedroom. He opened the door and froze with his mouth hanging open.

There was a coat rack in the middle of the open space between the bed and the bathroom. Hanging from one arm was a silky purple dress with a large bow on the front. Directly beneath it was a pair of gold-coloured high-heeled shoes. A little table next to it held a matching clutch, a pair of panties, a lacey bra, purple gloves, some boxes that looked like they probably held jewelry, and a blonde wig. A piece of paper sat beside them.

_Your escort will pick you up at 1800. Be ready._

Cloud gaped at the setup with a pounding heart. He was going to Shin-Ra's Annual Tri-Service Ball. He was going to the ball as Sephiroth's date. A glace at the clock shook him out of his shocked stupor—barely three hours to get ready.

He ran for the bathroom.

Cloud was naked and halfway into the shower before he noticed the rest of the bathroom. He paused, with his one wet leg dripping on the floor, and glanced around. There was makeup lined up on the counter, with more paper beside it. There was a bottle of perfume and some lotion. And there was shaving cream and a razor with a stack of extra blades beside it. If Sephiroth wanted him to shave his legs, those extra blades were probably going to be very necessary, so Cloud took the whole works into the shower.

He went through two blades per leg, trying very hard to not nick himself, then went over them again with a fresh blade. He shaved what he supposed, for tonight at least, could be considered his bikini zone, figuring that if he was going to be wearing women's underwear, it wouldn't do to have pubes sticking out all over the place, even if they were trimmed. The hair on his chest and stomach was pale enough that it probably wouldn't be noticeable, but Cloud shaved it all off anyways. Then he stared at his feet. They weren't _hairy_ by a long shot, but... it would look better. He very carefully shaved the tops of his feet and toes, knowing that Sephiroth would appreciate it.

He grabbed the soap and lathered up, but let out an embarrassed yelp moments later. Armpits! He totally forgot about those! As he reached for the razor again, he wondered vaguely how long it would take for his hair to grow back and if anyone would notice before it did.

Once he was as hair-free as he could get and thoroughly scrubbed, both outside and in, Cloud turned off the shower and grabbed a towel, wondering what the next step was. Lotion, he decided, then should he get dressed or do his makeup first? He might smudge the makeup by putting on the dress afterwards, but if he got dressed first, he might get makeup on it or crush the bow.

He wrapped the towel around his waist and went out to look at the dress more closely. It had a zipper down one side; it would go all the way past his hips... he could totally step into it rather than pulling it over his head. That would work much better. Problem solved, he ran back to the bathroom to look at the makeup, praying to every god he had ever heard of that the papers on the counter were instructions.

They were, and Sephiroth had somehow obtained far better instructions than he had dared to even hope for. They were hand-written with diagrams for nearly every step, and had obviously been written with an absolute beginner in mind.

_Step 1. Apply moisturizer (A) and lip balm (B)._

Cloud looked at the products lined up on the counter; they all had little stickers with letters on them, and the two on the far left were labelled A and B. He followed the steps, applying foundation, concealer, and a "little bit of powder on the large powder brush to take away shine, but leave a healthy sheen". He wasn't entirely sure if he had the right balance between shine and sheen, or even what the difference was, but thought it looked all right.

His eyes took several tries before he judged that it was good enough. At least whoever had written the instructions seemed to expect that he'd fail spectacularly and told him how to remove all the eye makeup so he could start again from scratch, and how to fix just what he had messed up. And the liquid eyeliner was optional, thank Holy. His eyes began watering up when he so much as _looked_ at it after nearly blinding himself during his first attempt.

Finally, after dabbing a touch of sparkly gloss on the centre of his bottom lip, Cloud declared himself made up. He admired himself in the mirror as he spritzed on a bit of perfume, then ran out to grab the wig. The instructions also included how to put it on properly, and he managed to get it on and looking like real hair in one go, much to his surprise.

When he walked back out to the bedroom to get dressed, his stomach did a couple little flip-flops. He ran his fingers delicately over the silk of the dress and the fragile lace of the underwear. He was nervous—who wouldn't be?—but excited at the same time. He wanted to be pretty and make Sephiroth proud. He could be pretty in this.

His cock twitched as he pulled the panties on, first over one leg, then the other. The fabric was soft and smooth; it glided over his ass and felt so good... But there was no time for distractions; Cloud glanced at the clock with disappointment. Surely Sephiroth would want to take the time to appreciate him dressed like this, he thought as he tucked his cock into the panties. He wouldn't have bought such nice things if he didn't want to see him in them.

The bra was already pre-stuffed with jelly things sewn into the cups. Cloud guessed that they felt quite similar to real breasts, though he had only had the one very quick opportunity to feel Tifa's, and they were still pretty small at the time, so it was hard to compare. He had to put the bra on backwards in order to get the hooks done up, then he twisted it around and got it settled in close to the correct position—it was hard to tell without breasts or even shoulder straps.

Boobs were not his thing, Cloud had to admit. He hoped it would look better with the dress overtop, but as far as just being in the underwear went, he much preferred the look of panties and no bra. Maybe Sephiroth would get him a little see-through chemise type of thing to wear...

Cloud snorted loudly, then had to run up to the mirror to check that he hadn't ruined his makeup. To be pondering what other women's lingerie he could wear when he didn't even know if Sephiroth actually _wanted_ to see him like this, or if it was just because he had to was a bit silly. Sighing, he pulled the dress off the hanger and unzipped it, then stepped into it and pulled it up.

He found himself blushing when he looked in the mirror; Sephiroth must have put a lot of thought into the style of dress. It managed to make his shoulders look a bit narrower, and at the same time, it minimized his biceps with little meshy sleeves. It even gave him the appearance of hips, though he rather doubted they'd be childbearing standard. The skirt ended modestly, just above his knees; Cloud licked his thumb and rubbed a bit of dried blood off his knee where he had nicked himself shaving. No one would notice, he was sure.

He turned to the jewelry boxes. A wide choker with a cameo featuring a single wing and fabric that matched the colour of the dress covered his Adam's apple nicely. There was a pair of clip-on earrings and a matching set of bangles as well. He slipped the bangles on over the long purple gloves that went up past his elbows. Once those were on, he sat down and crossed his fingers, hoping that he'd be able to walk in the shoes.

He wobbled several steps to the mirror to look at the finished product and smiled. He was indeed pretty, and felt certain that Sephiroth would think so too. And no one would know that he wasn't a girl, either. Not unless they were getting _way_ too familiar.

The doorbell rang and Cloud jumped, then grabbed onto the coat rack for balance. "Coming!" he called, wondering why Sephiroth didn't just come in. He grabbed the clutch and ran as quickly as he could—with delicate, mincing steps—to the bathroom and took the lip gloss, lipstick, eyeliner, shadow, and compact, shoving them into the bag. Would he need his ID? He couldn't imagine Sephiroth putting him in a position where he'd have to show it, but he supposed he should take it anyway, just in case. The doorbell rang again, so he grabbed it and the keycard and minced his way to the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he muttered as he opened it.

"Damn," Zack whistled appreciatively. "Lookin' good."

"Zack?" Cloud's heart dropped and felt like it had landed at his toes and been stomped on with his big spiked heels. Was Zack going to pretend to be his date? Did that mean Sephiroth was still going with Scarlet? He wasn't going to cry, he wasn't. It would ruin his makeup. But what the hell was the point in having makeup that wasn't ruined if it was all for nothing!

"Cloud, what's wrong? You look like I just killed your puppy and I swear, I haven't. I didn't even know you had a puppy."

"I thought—I thought—" Cloud stomped his foot and bit his lip, still trying not to cry. "Sephiroth was—I mean—Where is he?"

"Oh, dude, don't cry. Shit, he sent me to get you because he had to be there early. He's waiting for you. Hey, c'mon, you know he wouldn't ask you to dress like a girl and then stick you with me." Zack ducked inside for a tissue and began blotting at Cloud's face.

"He's waiting?" Cloud sniffled.

"Of course he is. Didn't he explain? He said he left you a note."

Cloud shook his head. "He never explains. The note just said to be ready by eighteen hundred hours. I assumed that he meant for me to be his date, but then I saw you and—and—"

"And thought that Sephiroth would choose man-eater Scarlet over a hot piece of ass like yourself? Idiot. So wait, are you telling me that you shaved your legs and put on a dress and makeup and you didn't even know for sure why?"

"Well, sure," Cloud laughed. "He wanted me to. That's a good enough reason."

"That's... fucked up. And I don't know if I mean that in a good way." Zack frowned at him with concern in his eyes. "Do you do everything he wants you to?"

"Mostly. He knows my limits and doesn't have me do anything I really don't want to do. But if I'm uncomfortable, I'll say so."

"So you're saying you're comfortable with dressing like a chick without knowing why?"

"Sure. I mean, it's just clothes, and I think I look good. My hair will grow back, so it's no big deal." Cloud supposed that it was maybe a bit strange that he hadn't balked at the idea at all, but it _was_ just clothes. Besides, Sephiroth liked the fact that he was strangely accepting of things.

Zack raised an eyebrow at him and shook his head. "Just clothes, huh?"

"Scared to wear a dress?" Cloud said with a grin. "Or are you worried you'll get teased if you shave your legs?"

"You little—"

"Hold my purse for me, would you? I'm just going to make sure my makeup's still good." Cloud shoved the clutch into Zack's hands and minced his way back to the bathroom, exaggerating his tiny steps to tease Zack. He quickly fixed a few smudges around his eyes and dabbed a little bit of concealer on his nose.

"Okay, I'm good," he said when he came back out. He took the clutch back and held out his arm. "Walk slowly, these heels aren't easy."

Zack took his arm with another small shake of his head. "Yes, ma'am. Oh, your name's Claudia, since apparently he doesn't tell you anything."

"Okay. That's a nice name."

XXX

"Sephiroth, you're needed inside," Heidegger's voice grated on Sephiroth's ears, and he ground his teeth in annoyance.

"My date isn't here yet. You can start without me." Sephiroth glanced at his watch again. It was only a couple minutes drive to the hotel from headquarters. They should have been here by a quarter after at the latest.

"You don't even have a date, do you?"

"At least I didn't rent mine," Sephiroth muttered under his breath. "She'll be here." It hadn't actually occurred to him that Cloud might have refused to go along with it until now, but he would have called and told him he wouldn't do it if that were the case. He checked his PHS again just in case there were any new messages, but there was nothing. "Come on..."

At long last, a car pulled to a stop in front of the entrance, and Zack hopped out of the far side and jogged over to him. "Sorry we're late," he said, "There was a minor crisis, but it's all sorted."

Sephiroth ignored Zack and went over to the car. The back door had opened and Cloud was struggling to get out. "Can I offer you a hand?" he asked.

"Fuck yes, you can. Cars and these shoes do not match." Cloud held out his hands and Sephiroth hauled him up, grabbing hold of his waist to help him balance. "Oh shit, my purse!"

Sephiroth reached into the car before Cloud had a chance and grabbed the purse off the seat. He thanked the driver, then slammed the door shut and turned to look at his date. Cloud had stepped back and was smoothing his skirt and straightening the bow, blushing slightly.

"You look wonderful," he said, holding out the purse.

Cloud blushed a deeper shade of pink. "It's all right? The makeup was hard, but I think I did okay."

Sephiroth leaned in and kissed him softly, inhaling the floral scent of his perfume. "It's perfect," he murmured. "_You're_ perfect. Thank you for doing this for me."

"Heidegger's looking like he's about to burst something," Zack called out. "You might want to hurry up."

"Shall we, Claudia?" Sephiroth offered him his elbow and Cloud took hold of it with a smile.

"Absolutely. You look really nice, too. I think I like you in a tux."

"Thank you." Sephiroth still wasn't entirely sure that he liked the way his hair looked braided, but it needed to be, especially at an event like this. The SOLDIERs all knew about his hair's special properties, but it stopped there. The last thing he needed was a bunch of civilians finding out.

Cloud was a bit off balance, so Sephiroth set a slow pace and led him into the ballroom, past the milling crowds of people, and up to the head table. He pulled out the chair for him, and Cloud sat, then bounced up immediately to fix his skirt before trying again. A waiter materialized mere moments after Sephiroth had taken his seat to offer them wine.

"You made it." Tseng was seated next to Cloud and looked him up and down. "We were beginning to think you didn't exist. Sephiroth's never brought his own date to the ball before."

"Sorry," Cloud said in a slightly higher pitched voice, blushing again, "There was a bit of confusion when Zack came to pick me up."

"I see." Tseng looked like he was about to say something else, but turned away when someone called his name.

Cloud began looking around, trying to see the other people at the table, but apparently getting frustrated.

"What is it?"

"Where do you suppose they've stuck their purses?" Cloud asked holding his up. "No one else seems to be holding theirs on their laps."

"Hmm..." Sephiroth glanced at his neighbour and noticed a bag at her feet. "On the floor, apparently. I've never even thought of what people do with stuff like that."

Cloud set his clutch down between them so it was leaning on his chair leg. "Me neither. It's a pain to have to remember it all the time. And how am I going to dance?"

"What have you got in it?"

"Just some makeup, your keycard, and my ID. I didn't think I'd need that, but I didn't really want to be without it, either."

Sephiroth nodded. "There's a side room I've got access to; we can stick it in there after dinner. I'll put the keycard and ID in my wallet."

"Thanks." Cloud fell silent when Heidegger stepped up to a podium to the right of the head table, but Sephiroth ignored the speech he had heard a dozen times before and played with Cloud's hand instead, running his fingers up and down the long, silk gloves.

The dress he had chosen suited Cloud well, and the makeup artist he had gone to had obviously been worth the money. He wished he could have been there to watch Cloud getting dressed, but then they might not have made it to the ball at all. The wig was nice, too, he thought. It was a similar shade of blonde as Cloud's hair, but longer, with some well-structured curls.

Applause broke out as Heidegger finished thanking them for another year of service, and Sephiroth half-heartedly patted his thigh until Heidegger sat down. Waiters began bringing out trays, and chatter broke out at all the tables.

"So, how did you meet Sephiroth? It's my understanding that he doesn't get out for dates very often."

Sephiroth looked sharply at Cloud, wondering if he'd have to jump in, but Cloud smiled happily. "That's true, I think, mister...?"

"Tseng. Just Tseng is fine."

"Tseng, then. Sephiroth was on a mission when we met. My daddy owns an inn a ways outside of Kalm, and he stays there sometimes when he's in the area. I know he's busy, being a big SOLDIER hero and all, but he always takes the time to stop by and have a chat with me. When he asked me if I'd like to come to this ball, well, of course I said yes. I haven't been to the city since they started building the plate. Sure has come a long way... Everything's so shiny now."

Sephiroth had to cover his face to hide his grin; he had never imagined that Cloud could act, but he was doing a fine job of it. Tseng's eyes had glazed over at the mention of her daddy, and he appeared to have tuned out everything past the big SOLDIER hero. It was perfect; Cloud could convince everyone that Claudia was a walking stereotype of a starry-eyed country yokel, and therefore too boring to talk to, which would make it easier for him to pass as a girl.

"That's great," Tseng said and turned back to his own date.

Cloud turned towards him and raised his eyebrows in question.

"Brilliant," he said. "I'm just going to pretend that I seduced you in the barn and your daddy doesn't know."

"You're gonna git in so much trouble with him," Cloud threatened, wagging his finger at him, "There'll be a shotgun weddin' fer shure!"

Sephiroth laughed and raised his wineglass. "Cheers, Claudia. To shotgun weddings and ravishings in the hayloft."

"Cheers!"

"So what was the crisis?" Sephiroth asked after a waiter had left them with plates piled high with food.

"Hmm?"

"Zack said there was a crisis that made you late, and you told Tseng there had been some confusion. What was it?"

"Oh," Cloud blushed, "I was just being stupid."

"Cloud..."

"Okay, silly and overly dramatic and jumping to conclusions then, not stupid. Anyways," Cloud waved his fork in dismissal, "I was all excited because I was going to go to the ball with you, but then Zack showed up, and I thought that meant that I was supposed to go with him, and you'd still be going with Scarlet, and I may have cried just a little and had to fix my makeup."

"You thought I'd do that to you?" Sephiroth wasn't sure if his feelings should be hurt, or if he should smack Cloud upside the head for being an idiot.

"No..." Cloud waved his fork again. "Not really. I was just—your note said that my 'escort' would come get me, and I assumed that meant you because isn't a lady's escort usually the dude dancing with her at the ball? And then it was Zack, and Zack's great and all, but he's not you, so I was really disappointed and wondered if I misunderstood the note, and you _know_ that I'm trying with the self-esteem and confidence, but it's hard sometimes, and—"

"Okay." Sephiroth held up his hands to cut Cloud off before he ended up in tears again. "Okay, yes, I do know that. And I understand that it's hard. I should have been clearer in the note; it's not like when I'm there in person and you can ask questions if you need to. Sorry."

Cloud shook his head. "Not your fault. I overreacted."

"A little, yes," Sephiroth agreed, "But next time I'll be clearer. No one's ravishing my Claudia but me."

Cloud giggled and took a sip of wine. "That would be appreciated. It would also be appreciated if you didn't leave me alone in the vicinity of Scarlet tonight. I think she's going to murder me."

"What? She's not—" Sephiroth looked over at Scarlet and caught the glare she was shooting in Cloud's direction. "Maybe she is... I wonder what's going on."

"Maybe she's mad at me for stealing you."

"No," Sephiroth said with a shake of his head, "She hated being ordered to go as my date."

"Maybe that's it. I mean, if I were her, I'd be pretty pissed off if I got treated like... like an escort by a bunch of men who were supposed to be my equals. She must've worked really hard to get where she is. I know she dresses kinda slutty, but she's got to have more than that going for her."

"She does," Sephiroth conceded. "She's extremely good at her job, though I can't stand her personality."

"So when all that gets tossed aside and she gets told to be your date, it's got to hurt. Even if... even if maybe she _wanted _to go with you. Maybe especially if."

"So you're saying she's mad because she _had _to be my date, and also because she wanted to?"

Cloud shrugged. "Maybe? Maybe she's just jealous of my outfit. Either way, please don't leave me alone with her. I think she could at least take out an eye with her nails; mine wouldn't be so good for that." Cloud looked at his hands sadly. "Gloves were a really good idea."

Sephiroth smiled and gave Cloud's thigh a squeeze. "I'll send you for a manicure and pedicure next time." He glanced back down the table at Scarlet and gave her a small smile. Cloud was definitely right in that it had probably really hurt for the men of the company to treat her like she was just a piece of meat. She deserved more respect than that.

XXX

Cloud stared in awe at the table that was being wheeled out in front of the head table. Claudia was channelling the country boy in him, and the country boy was very much impressed with the huge fountain of chocolate and plates of fruit, both familiar and exotic. Smaller fountains were being wheeled out to strategic places around the room, and Cloud couldn't help but be a little smug that they got the biggest one.

"Are you okay?" Sephiroth asked.

"Look at all the chocolate!" Cloud forgot to keep his voice down and saw Sephiroth make a face at Tseng over the top of his head.

"Sit tigh—you want to come up to get some yourself, don't you?"

"Yes! Can we go? Is it rude to be first?"

Sephiroth stood and offered him a hand up. "Come on, we'll get to it before too many people stick their fingers in."

Cloud wobbled momentarily when he stood, but remembered how to balance quickly. The woman who was sitting at Sephiroth's other side smirked at him, but he didn't care. There was a fountain of chocolate, and he was going to try _everything_.

Sephiroth held a plate for him with an indulgent smile while Cloud skewered the fruit and stuck it in the chocolate until he had two of each kind.

"Is this all for you, or do I get some too?" Sephiroth asked.

"I thought we could share," Cloud said and felt himself blushing. It was probably weird to share a plate at something like this.

Sephiroth just nodded. "Are we good to sit down, then? We can come back for seconds."

"Yeah, I think we're good." Cloud noticed that the other people who had gotten up had much less on their plates, even taking into account that his was for two. The women especially only had one or two pieces of fruit with just a tiny bit of chocolate on them. "Maybe we should pretend that it's mostly yours," he said quietly.

Sephiroth laughed and caught his hand. "Hey, you're a hard-working country girl who deserves to indulge a little. Fruit's good for you, and so is trying new things."

That made Cloud feel slightly better, but when Sephiroth set the plate down, he put it in front of his own chair, not between their places. "Not very lady-like..." Cloud mumbled as he sat down.

"Well then, fold your hands neatly in your lap, sit up straight, don't put yourself down, and you'll be back on the lady-like side in no time."

Cloud obeyed the instructions automatically before he stopped to wonder how he'd eat anything with his hands folded in his lap.

"Eyes on me," Sephiroth murmured in a tone he normally reserved for when they were alone. "Open up."

Cloud glanced through his lashes at Sephiroth and blushed deeply before opening his mouth. A chocolate covered raspberry was placed between his lips, and Sephiroth let his fingers linger long enough for Cloud suck the chocolate off of them.

"Good girl. Do you like it?"

Cloud nodded, and Sephiroth held up another piece for him. His eyes fluttered shut as he swallowed and opened his mouth again. This was one of the mystery fruits, he decided, full of seeds, but delicious and juicy. He darted his tongue out to lick Sephiroth's fingers as they withdrew, prompting a chuckle. Cloud blushed again, remembering that they were surrounded by people, and started to pull away in embarrassment. He opened his eyes and caught a glimpse of a few people staring and shrank back some more, staring at his lap.

"Eyes on me," Sephiroth said again, more firmly this time.

Cloud forced himself to raise his eyes, trying to block out everything but Sephiroth.

"No one here knows you," he murmured.

"I don't want to cause a scene."

"You're not." Sephiroth popped a piece of fruit into his own mouth. "Sitting on my lap while I feed you with one hand up your skirt would be causing a scene. Feeding you using my hair would be causing a scene. You're simply choosing to not take off your gloves, so I'm helping you out. Pineapple?"

"Yes, please." Cloud rather wished that he could sit on Sephiroth's lap; somehow, that seemed a lot safer and less exposed. He would pass on the hand up his skirt, though, unless they were alone. He compromised and scooted his chair a little bit closer to Sephiroth's while he swallowed his pineapple.

Sephiroth smiled at him and held up a strawberry. "I think I'm going to have to get some chocolate fondue for at home," he said. "The idea of you naked and tied up on my lap, covered in chocolate, is very tempting."

Cloud liked that idea, but frowned at Sephiroth. "Don't say things like that in public!"

"Why not? If I seduced you in the barn, wouldn't it logically follow that we'd be into activities where nakedness is involved?"

"Well, yes, but not with tying me up and stuff!"

"Who's getting tied up?" Zack's face appeared out of nowhere behind Sephiroth, and Cloud nearly fell out of his chair.

"Shit, Zack!"

"Claudia..." Sephiroth's voice held a warning tone, and Cloud immediately snapped his gaze back to where it was supposed to be. "Good girl. There's not a lot left; have you had enough?"

"Maybe a couple more pieces." It was really good chocolate, and he rather liked having Sephiroth feed it to him.

Sephiroth nodded and selected another piece of fruit before turning to Zack. "Claudia is. When I get fondue for at home."

"I see..." Cloud saw Zack blush bright red out of the corner of his eye. "Well, you've got all the guys drooling over you, _Claudia_; they all want someone to lick the chocolate off their fingers."

"Oh Gaia, Sephiroth, I can't. I—yellow." Cloud looked away and hid his face in his hands, fighting the urge to just get up and run. Everyone thought he was a slut, and they were all laughing at him, he knew it.

"Nice going, Fair," Sephiroth snarled, then a warm hand touched his shoulder. "Hey, sweetheart, it's okay. Come on, let's go outside for a moment."

Cloud nodded with his face still hidden, and Sephiroth pulled him up by the elbow. He heard Zack following, but he kept his face down and didn't make eye contact with anyone while Sephiroth led him to a door much closer than the one they had come in. It opened into a quiet hallway; he could hear voices further down, but they didn't seem to be coming closer.

"Is this okay?" Sephiroth asked. "We can go somewhere quieter if you need it."

Cloud shook his head. "It's fine." Strong, warm arms wrapped around him and held him close, keeping him safe.

"Sorry, Cloud, I—"

"Shut up. You're not helping." Sephiroth rubbed his back, and Cloud allowed himself to relax a fraction and listened to his heartbeat.

"Hey, I'm not the one who made him eat from my hand in the first place."

Cloud cringed and pressed himself closer to Sephiroth's body, covering his ears. He didn't want to hear about how he was a freak for letting Sephiroth do things like that. For enjoying it...

"Not now, Zack. If you want to be out here, be quiet and let Cloud calm down. If you've got concerns, we can talk about it later."

The authority in Sephiroth's voice worked, and silence fell across the hallway. Cloud lost track of how long he stood there, listening to the steady thump of Sephiroth's heart.

"No one knows who I am," he finally whispered.

"That's right," Sephiroth said. His voice was low and it made his chest rumble; Cloud decided he quite liked that. "Cloud's at his boyfriend's place watching movies and drinking all the expensive beer."

"Not all of it."

"Hmm, maybe not all of it. As long as his boyfriend doesn't stay out too late." Sephiroth kept rubbing his back and speaking in his comforting, rumbly voice. "Claudia's going to go back home to her daddy's inn after tonight. I'll see her again, but not often."

"Because she's a slut?"

"She's not a slut. She just lives far away. But I like her a lot, so I'll stop by and see her when I can."

"That's nice. You'll tell people that she's not a slut if they ask?"

"Of course I will."

"Thank you." Cloud waited a few more minutes, then opened his eyes and breathed deeply. "I'm good."

"Do you want to go home, or are you okay to go back in?" Sephiroth rubbed his thumb at the corner of Cloud's eye. "I know you were looking forward to dancing."

"I want to dance, but I want to fix my makeup first." It was probably all smudged by now.

"Of course. Zack, can you go get Cloud's clutch? It's at the foot of his chair."

"Yeah, sure." Zack didn't sound very happy, and Cloud started to worry all over again.

"I'll talk to him," Sephiroth said, stroking Cloud's head. "Spend some extra time in the bathroom, and I'll get it sorted out with him. Okay?"

"Okay."

Zack came back out with his clutch and handed it over silently. Cloud gave him a small smile, then glanced around.

"Around the corner and to your left," Sephiroth said. "They shouldn't be very busy at this end."

"'Kay. Thanks." Cloud hurried off, hoping that Sephiroth would make Zack understand.

XXX

Sephiroth waited until he was certain that Cloud was out of earshot before turning on Zack. "You knew what I was into when you introduced me to him," he said with a level voice. "That's _why_ you introduced him, or so I thought. What changed?"

"I knew you were into bondage, and that you wanted someone who would let you have control in bed. Since when does that extend to ordering someone to dress like a girl without even an explanation or an option not to and forcing him to eat from your hand in public? If I had known that you'd get off on humiliating him, you can bet your ass that I'd never have let him anywhere near you."

Sephiroth stared at Zack for several long seconds, then turned and went back into the ballroom. He heard Zack yell something after him, but ignored him and went straight for the bar, pushing his way to the front of the line.

"Two scotches on the rocks," he said, "Make them triples."

The bartender produced the drinks in record time and pushed them towards him, looking fearful. He must have been letting his emotions show on his face, he realized, and quickly attempted to mask them. It wouldn't do to look upset when Cloud came back from the bathroom. Cloud could probably use a drink as well, so he turned back and ordered a beer for him. He could ditch it in favour of something girlier to go with his act if he wanted.

He took the three drinks and returned to find Zack looking absolutely livid. "There's a couch over there," he said, gesturing with the beer to a couch midway down the hall, "Let's sit down."

Zack took one of the scotches from him and sat at the far end of the couch, glaring at him.

"I don't force him to do anything," Sephiroth said after staring at his drink for what Zack probably felt was an unreasonable amount of time. "He can refuse to do anything I tell him to do; he has safe words, and he uses them. You just saw him use them. "

"I did?"

"You did. 'Yellow' means that he wants to slow down. I took him out of the situation that was upsetting him and allowed him the time he needed to calm down and think about what happened and decide what he wanted to do. If he had said 'red', I'd be taking him home right now. And for the record, he wasn't upset until you upset him."

Zack stared at him in disbelief. "So you're saying that he had zero problems with that little display?"

"I didn't say that," Sephiroth said. "I said he wasn't upset. He _was_ outside of his usual comfort zone. He doesn't like drawing attention to himself, and he doesn't like the possibility of being judged negatively."

"So why'd you do it to him?"

"Because he needs someone to push him. If he's going to make it into SOLDIER, he needs to be able to cope with things like being the centre of attention and being judged." He took a sip of his drink and swirled the ice around. "The possibility of anyone recognizing him was extremely low. His friends from his unit were at the back of the room, and they were halfway to wasted when we arrived. I judged that there was little risk in my actions."

"And it was all for his benefit? You got nothing out of it?"

Sephiroth snorted. "Of course not. Why shouldn't I get something out of it? I enjoy him, and I enjoy making him blush. But he's happier outside his shell, once he gets there, and I like him better when he's happy and confident. Who wouldn't? He does what I tell him to do because he wants to please me, but he knows that I won't do anything that will harm him, physically or mentally. Do you not agree that he's been happier in the past few months now that he actually _has_ friends in his unit?"

Zack frowned at him and scratched his head. "You had something to do with him making friends?"

"I gave him an assignment. It was well beyond what he was comfortable with at the time, and it was something that he never would have done if I hadn't told him to do it. But he chose to do it because I wanted him to. He also knew that I would be there for him if it didn't work out."

"What did you have him do?"

"I told him to be rude and invite himself along when the guys from his unit went out for drinks. I assumed they never invited him because he keeps himself closed off—that they thought he didn't want to go. I was right."

Zack made a disgruntled sort of noise and folded his arms. "Okay, I _have _noticed that he's been happier lately, and yeah, you're right, Cloud never would have done something like that without being pushed, but I fail to see the connection between that and having him licking your fingers clean in public."

"That was fun," Sephiroth said with a smirk, "And nowhere near as scary for him as making friends. Besides, he needed a distraction. He was getting self-conscious about how excited he was to try the chocolate fountain, so I needed to do something to take his mind off of it. He was enjoying himself, and there was nothing wrong with it. It was hardly indecent considering some of the stuff that's gone on in past years."

"Fine, you're both weird. Why didn't you explain about the arrangements you made for tonight? He was really upset about that, you know."

"I know, and we talked—" Sephiroth cut himself off at the sound of high-heels running quickly towards them. Cloud came around the corner, holding his skirt down and taking tiny steps while still moving as quickly as he could.

"These are _not_ the shoes for making great escapes!" he wailed, glancing behind him, then scurrying over to the couch and flinging himself down next to Sephiroth.

"What happened?" Sephiroth pulled Cloud close and looked him over; he appeared rather wild-eyed, but not upset, per se.

"A man! A creepy, disgusting, nasty, perverted man!"

"More perverted than Sephiroth?" Zack asked.

"Much!" Cloud said vehemently. "Ick, that was just... Who _does_ something like that! Can I have some of your drink?"

Sephiroth held out his scotch, but picked up the beer as well. "I got you a beer if you'd prefer."

Cloud drained half the glass and shuddered. "Yeah, beer please."

They traded drinks, and Sephiroth wrapped an arm around Cloud, who was still breathing heavily. He kept an eye out down the hallway for anyone who might have been chasing him. "What did the man do?"

"I was coming out of the bathroom, right, and there's this mostly bald guy standing there in a long red coat with a stupid furry collar, which was weird because there wasn't anyone else in there that he might have been waiting for. I was just going to ignore him when he asked if I was working."

"Working?" Sephiroth twitched; he recognized the description.

"That's what I said! So I said 'No, I work at my daddy's inn, but I'm on holiday.' And then he said that I could come work for him and he could be my daddy, and then he grabbed my ass!" Cloud took a swig of beer and continued, "I was all 'What the fuck?' but I figured maybe he was drunk, so I just turned to leave, but I tripped on my shoe and he grabbed my arm and went in for a kiss and grabbed my boob!"

"The fuck!"

Cloud turned to Zack and nodded vigorously. "So I kneed him in the junk as hard as I could and ran for it... I think he's still there. But _ew!_ My _daddy!_ That's just—"

"Good for you," Sephiroth murmured, kissing Cloud's forehead. "Zack, would you be so kind as to go make sure that the good Don is still in pain and remains that way while Cloud and I fetch security?"

"Gladly."

"You know him?" Cloud asked.

"Unfortunately." Sephiroth took Cloud by the hand and pulled him up, then headed towards the more populated areas to look for security staff. "He's associated with Shin-Ra, and is mostly likely here to keep an eye on his employees, but he has no business harassing and assaulting random women coming out of bathrooms. We're kicking him out."

"Are his employees prostitutes?"

Sephiroth coughed. "What makes you think that?"

"Uh, I may be a naïve country girl, but if that guy wasn't a pimp, I'll wear these shoes for the rest of my life and never complain."

"Fair point. Yes, his employees are prostitutes, and if you think for one second that that means something negative about you, I'll spank you till your eyes cross permanently."

Cloud laughed and banged his head into Sephiroth's shoulder. "I wasn't going to."

"Good girl. Ah, finally, someone with a weapon."

Sephiroth explained to the security guards what had happened and what he wanted to happen, and sent them off down the hall to find Zack.

"Now, I believe I promised you a dance or two."

XXX

"Did you talk to Zack?" Cloud asked with his head resting on Sephiroth's chest while they moved in time with the music. They had been playing nothing but slow songs for the past hour, and Cloud was wishing it would never end, even though his feet were dying a very painful death.

"I did. Don't worry about him." Sephiroth's fingers carded through his wig, which was getting hot and itchy. "He was just worried about you, and I think he might want to talk to you at some point about it, but don't let him get you down. There's nothing wrong with you or the things you enjoy."

"Mm'kay. Even sexy hair tentacles?" Cloud stroked Sephiroth's braid gently.

"Especially sexy hair tentacles," Sephiroth said as the loose end of his braid grabbed at Cloud's fingers. "Though Zack doesn't know that they're _sexy_ hair tentacles, and I'd rather like to keep it that way. Admitting to Hojo that touching them is... pleasurable... was bad enough."

Cloud felt Sephiroth press his lips to the top of his head and sighed in contentment.

"Getting tired?"

Cloud nodded; he didn't want to stop dancing yet, but he _was_ getting tired, and he wanted to have enough energy for at least a quickie when they got home.

"I booked a suite here for the night. Sound good to you?"

"Of course!" Cloud lifted his head. "Oh, but I didn't bring my ribbon."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't forget something like that. I brought it and a change of clothes—normal stuff—for you. And Cloud, if you're tired, I'm not expecting anything. You've had a rough day."

"It wasn't _so_ bad," Cloud said, smirking. "I think I could find the energy for you to admire me in my pretty underwear."

"Mmm... that's right. I want to see you in those. Do you like them?"

"I like the panties; I think I look a bit silly in the bra, though."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, it's fine with the dress, but by itself... it's silly looking. So I thought that if you wanted, I could get a little see-through top thing sometime. Kind of loose fitting, and maybe with a little bow?"

"Is that so?" Sephiroth pulled Cloud closer and started moving them towards the exit. "I think I might be able to find something like that for you. Do you like purple?"

"Yeah, to match. Or pink, maybe..."

"I could get you matching pink panties." Sephiroth tilted Cloud's chin up and kissed him quickly. "If you're willing to wear them, I'll get you as many styles and colours as you'd like."

"I'll wear them," Cloud said with a blush.

"We'll take a shopping trip together." Sephiroth steered them towards the table where they had left Cloud's clutch and Sephiroth's jacket, then banged the door open with his hip, spilling them out into the hallway. He grabbed Cloud by the hand and tugged, attempting to get him to move faster, but paused when Cloud winced. "Feet hurt?"

"Uh-huh." He had blisters in a few places that were getting extremely painful, not to mention that they were just plain _sore_ from being in a weird position.

Sephiroth swept him off his feet before Cloud realized what he was doing, and carried him, bridal style, to the elevators. "You should have said something. I saw a bunch of other women who had taken their shoes off to dance."

"I know, but they look pretty, and dancing slow wasn't making them any worse."

Sephiroth cocked an eyebrow at him, and Cloud leaned up so he could kiss it.

"Don't look all skeptical at me. It's true." He reached down behind Sephiroth's back and picked up his braid, stroking it gently before taking off the elastic. He teased the end of it, causing Sephiroth to moan lowly, and as soon as the elevator arrived and they were alone in it, he began combing his fingers through, loosening the braid.

"Trying to distract me from your masochism?" Sephiroth asked, pressing Cloud into the corner of the elevator and shifting him so he could rub his growing erection against him.

"Not _trying_," Cloud said. "Doing." He twirled a section of Sephiroth's bangs around his finger and wrapped his lips around the tip.

"Hey," Sephiroth protested half-heartedly, "Not until you're wearing the ribbon."

Cloud sighed and took the hair out of his mouth. It sucked that more than the prehensile aspects of the marlboro had been passed on to Sephiroth's hair. Always having to wear a ribbon to do anything more than touch it briefly was such a pain. He supposed it was better than being poisoned, blinded, and confused among other things, but he wished Hojo would do something to fix it.

The elevator arrived on their floor and Sephiroth hoisted him up again, kissing him as he stumbled down the hall and fumbled in his pockets for the keycard to their room.

"You can put me down if you need to," Cloud said with some reluctance.

"No need, found it." Sephiroth glanced up, presumably making sure that they were at the right room, then unlocked the door. Cloud barely had a chance to glance around the enormous suite before they had passed through what appeared to be a living room and into the bedroom. Sephiroth set him down on the king-sized bed and knelt at his feet. He stroked up and down Cloud's leg and unbuckled his shoe. Cloud gave a small gasp of pain as he took it off, and then moved on to the other. A glance down showed red, blistered, and swollen feet.

"They didn't hurt when I put them on."

Sephiroth kissed his toes, then stood and kissed his forehead. "Wait a moment." He reentered the room a few moments later with a piece of materia in his hand and was casting Cure before Cloud could even think about protesting the waste of magic. "Better?"

The relief was immediate and Cloud nodded. That wasn't a waste of magic at all. "So much better. Thank you."

"Good. I don't want you in pain, at least not the kind that doesn't feel good. And blistered feet never feel good." Sephiroth pulled a familiar length of ribbon out of his pocket and tied it around Cloud's ankle. He stood and took off his cummerbund, tie, shirt, and shoes, then sat down in an armchair that was near the foot of the bed. "Now, I believe you mentioned something about me admiring you in your underwear? Take off your dress."

Cloud felt himself redden, but slid off the bed. He set the bangles on the bed, then slowly pulled off his gloves. Stripping always felt awkward to him, though he was getting used to it. He turned so Sephiroth was facing his left side and noticed his reflection in the large mirrors that were placed around the room. It startled him for a moment, but he closed his eyes and lifted his arm.

"Open your eyes, Cloud. I chose this room for a reason. You're beautiful, I want you to see it too."

Cloud counted three deep breaths, and then opened his eyes, forcing himself to look straight ahead. He liked his reflection. He was pretty. He could also see Sephiroth in some of the mirrors; he was unabashedly stroking a large section of his hair.

"Good boy," Sephiroth murmured. "Keep going."

He undid the hook at the top of the zipper, then slowly slid it down, exposing his side to Sephiroth. The dress slipped down and pooled at his feet. Cloud supposed he probably should have done that more slowly. Too late for that, however, so he stepped out of the fabric and picked it up, laying it flat on the bed.

"Turn around," Sephiroth ordered. "Let me see."

Cloud spun slowly, trying his best to keep his eyes up and not appear too nervous. Sephiroth smiled at him when he was briefly facing the chair; he was still stroking his hair, and Cloud noticed the large bulge in his pants. He continued on until he had completed a circle and stopped when he was facing Sephiroth again, waiting for more instructions.

His cock began to harden under Sephiroth's unrelenting gaze, and poked at the fabric of his panties. He felt himself blush furiously, and fought to keep himself from turning away.

"Come here," Sephiroth finally said, and patted his lap.

Cloud all but flew at him and crawled into his lap, grateful just to be doing something other than getting stared at.

"You don't like the way the bra looks?" Sephiroth arranged him so he was straddling his lap. Cloud was sitting more on his knees, actually, and nowhere near as close as he would have liked, but it was still better than standing in the middle of the room.

"No, not really. I don't hate it," he added quickly. "I just—"

"It's okay. You're allowed to not like things." Sephiroth leaned forward so he could reach around behind and unhook the clasps. He kissed Cloud several times as he tossed the bra to the floor. "But you like the panties?" he asked, leaning back again.

"Yeah." Cloud tried to follow him, to kiss some more, or touch, or anything, really, but Sephiroth stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"Show me."

"Show you? I don't understand."

Sephiroth reached out and pressed his hand between Cloud's spread legs, rubbing gently. The fabric slid against his skin, and Cloud let out a whimper, pressing himself against Sephiroth's hand. The pressure let up as Sephiroth suddenly withdrew. "Show me," he repeated.

Cloud nodded, biting his lip. Masturbating for Sephiroth was hardly even embarrassing anymore, so he reached between his legs and cupped his hand over his cock. He wasn't really able to grip it like he would normally, but taking off his underwear would defeat the purpose rather soundly, and he didn't want to stretch them. Instead, he rubbed his hand over the smooth fabric; the sensation of it was different than what he was used to, and Cloud found that he quite liked it.

He leaned back a little bit so Sephiroth would have a better view, and brought his other hand to his chest to play with his nipples. Sephiroth placed one hand behind his back to support him, but didn't touch him otherwise. Instead, he stared while Cloud pinched his nipples and rubbed himself. The head of his cock poked out over the top of the panties, and Cloud traced his finger over his slit, then raised it to Sephiroth's lips.

Sephiroth smiled at him, then opened his mouth, closing it over his entire finger and sucking. He dragged his teeth over his skin, and curled his tongue around it.

"You certainly taste like you're enjoying it," he murmured when he allowed Cloud's finger to slip out of his mouth. "Are you going to make yourself come?"

"Can I?" Cloud asked, dropping his hand between his legs again.

Sephiroth nodded lazily. "Mmm, I think I'd like to see that. Put on a good show for me."

Cloud shifted a bit further forward on the chair, then leaned back as far as he could, hanging nearly upside down off the edge of Sephiroth's knees. He felt hands on his own knees, helping him balance. Sephiroth liked it when he was all stretched out, and, he realized with a blush, there was a mirror on the ceiling above him. Suddenly, he understood a whole lot better just _why_ Sephiroth liked seeing him this way.

"Holy shit," he murmured as he watched himself rubbing his cock. He lifted his hips slightly to cause it to jut out more so he could have a better view.

"I knew you'd like this room." Sephiroth's voice was husky. He shifted slightly underneath him, and then a foot was under his head, propping it up so he could watch himself in the mirror without straining his neck.

He sped up his movements, appreciating the friction that the fabric provided. He felt pre-cum dripping down onto his stomach, forming a little pool there and moaned, rocking his hips slightly. He pinched a nipple one last time, hard enough that he made himself gasp, then reached down to cup his balls, admiring the red mark he left on his chest. He looked hot, he thought, wondering what he looked like from Sephiroth's point of view. He couldn't see Sephiroth's face, but he could imagine it well enough.

He would be licking his lips, wanting to touch, but holding himself back. Cloud could feel the tiny movements from Sephiroth's body that gave him away. His fingers twitched on his knees, and there was a subtle rocking movement in his hips. Cloud slid his left hand under the leg band on his panties and pressed a finger into his ass. Only up to his first knuckle, but it was enough to give him the stimulation he wanted. It was a struggle to not close his eyes as the heat began pooling in his groin; he normally liked to close them and concentrate on how everything felt, but this time, he wanted to watch.

His legs were shaking from the strain, but he didn't care. With an embarrassingly loud moan, his muscles jerked and intense pleasure overwhelmed him. He watched himself shoot his load up onto his chest, where it ran down his neck and into his hair. He finally allowed himself to close his eyes as his cock began to soften, though he kept rubbing it gently while he gasped for air.

"Good boy," Sephiroth murmured, and then strong arms were lifting him back up.

His head span as the blood rushed out of it, and his legs screamed in agony, but he tried not to let it show. Sephiroth lifted him and turned him so he was sitting across his lap and he could stretch his legs out. The start of the pins and needles sensation made him whimper softly.

Cloud closed his eyes and leaned his head on Sephiroth's chest. He knew he wasn't done yet; he could feel the bulge underneath him and wouldn't let himself sleep until that was taken care of. But a little rest was nice. Hands were gently stroking him and cradling him close. Sephiroth even pushed his wig off; the cool air felt wonderful on his sweat-damp hair.

"You're such a mess." Sephiroth trailed a finger through the spunk on his chest.

"But the panties are still clean, right?" Cloud mumbled. He didn't want to ruin his first pair of women's underwear.

"I'm sure they'll be fine once they've been washed."

"Oh good."

"If you have enough energy to be concerned about the state of your underwear, can I take it to mean that you're not too worn out yet?" Sephiroth rubbed his leg and cupped his ass, while a piece of hair stroked Cloud's cheek.

"Never." Cloud opened his eyes long enough to catch the strand of hair and wrap his lips around the end of it, then he closed them again and began sucking lazily.

Sephiroth made a contented sound, and moved him so his feet were propped up on the edge of the chair. He felt Sephiroth tug on the panties and lifted his hips so he could slide them off. Moments later, Sephiroth's hand was back, touching his soft cock and trailing a gentle finger over his balls. He felt himself twitch in response, and spread his legs wider when the hand that was still on his ass pulled a bit.

Sephiroth played with him for a few minutes, teasing him back to hardness and probing gently at his hole, then his free hand disappeared again, and Cloud heard the sound of the lube jar being opened. He cracked open an eye to see how Sephiroth was managing that with just one hand, and laughed when he saw a couple strands of hair helping him out. He pulled the hair that was currently in his mouth out.

"Handy, isn't it?"

"Extremely." Sephiroth dipped his fingers into the lube and drizzled it over his cock and balls before sliding his fingers between his ass crack. "But that's enough talking."

Cloud stuck out his tongue—three words was hardly talking—and got a sharp smack on the ass and a disapproving look in return. Sephiroth's hair pushed its way back into his mouth, and Cloud let it thrust in as far as Sephiroth wanted, stretching his jaw widely. He swallowed around it and worked it with his tongue, while Sephiroth began stretching him.

Cloud grunted as Sephiroth thrust into him; he synchronized his hair and his fingers and made Cloud work hard to keep his lower body relaxed to accept the fingers, while still being able to give the tentacle in his mouth the treatment he wanted to. He lost count of how many fingers were in him; at least four, but then Sephiroth had worked his right hand a lot closer than it had previously been, so there might have been five. Another finger probed at his entrance and Cloud hissed, shaking his head.

"Yellow no?" Sephiroth asked.

Cloud felt the tentacle in his mouth pulling out to let him answer, but he quickly swallowed and resumed sucking as he nodded.

Sephiroth moved his right hand away—apparently there _had_ been five—but continued to thrust the fingers on his left hand in, though he was getting a bit distracted, Cloud could tell. Sephiroth hissed loudly when Cloud forced his tongue up, splitting the chunk of hair down the middle. It only took a few more seconds before the tentacle was jerking in his mouth, and filling it with the nasty fluid.

"Ah, good," Sephiroth gasped. He pulled the hair out of Cloud's mouth, and another chunk of hair produced a bottle of water from the same spot the lube had been. Cloud took it and chugged it down until the taste was gone. "Good boy."

Sephiroth withdrew his fingers and lifted him up, setting him on his feet. "Put your dress back on, sweetheart. No underwear."

"My dress?"

"Yes, I want to fuck you in it." Sephiroth stood and began removing his pants.

Cloud eyed Sephiroth sternly. "Do not ruin my dress," he said.

Sephiroth paused in the process of undoing his fly and raised an eyebrow at him. "Who bought the dress?"

"It's _mine_, you bought it for _me_, don't ruin it."

"Okay, okay," Sephiroth laughed. "I promise to treat it with the utmost respect. I'll do my best to avoid staining or tearing it, and I'll get it cleaned afterwards. Good enough?"

Cloud nodded his consent, though he didn't appreciate the laugh; it was a _nice_ dress, and it looked good on him. "Good enough." He wiped his chest off with a tissue and picked up the dress off the bed. It didn't stay up as well without the bra to help hold it up, so he kept his arms tightly at his sides and looked to Sephiroth for more instructions.

Sephiroth was spreading lubricant over his erection and pointed to the largest mirror in the room. "Kneel down in front of it."

Cloud obeyed, arranging his skirt so it fanned out around him. He was looking distinctly less pretty with his smudged makeup, flattened hair, one missing earring, and the top of his dress sagging. He was attempting to at least fix the makeup a bit when Sephiroth appeared behind him.

"Don't," he said as he knelt behind him, adjusting the skirt so he wasn't kneeling on it, "You're perfect the way you are."

"I'm all smudgy."

"You're dishevelled, and I'm going to dishevel you some more," Sephiroth whispered in his ear before licking it. "Lift up your skirt."

Cloud blushed, but picked up his skirt and lifted it high, showing off his erect cock to the mirror. He saw a couple strands of hair reach around and lift up the back as well, and Sephiroth moved closer, pressing his erection against him. He nudged Cloud's knees apart and gripped his hips, then began pressing himself in. Cloud dropped forwards onto his hands, letting the skirt fall.

"No," Sephiroth grunted and wrapped an arm around Cloud's chest. He pulled him upright again and shuffled a bit further forwards so he was underneath Cloud's ass. "I want you looking in the mirror. Lift your skirt again, and don't move."

Cloud picked up the skirt; he was directly above the head of Sephiroth's cock now, and Sephiroth shifted his hands back to his hips and pulled Cloud down. He gaped as he watched it disappearing into him; he had never actually seen that before. Sephiroth pushed him back up a little ways, then pulled him back down until he was seated fully in Cloud's body.

A strand of hair snuck around to Cloud's front and trailed over his cock before wrapping around his balls and lifting them up so they wouldn't block his view. Sephiroth lifted him slowly, and Cloud watched, fascinated, as his skin tugged at Sephiroth's cock, like it was trying to hold him in. Sephiroth lifted him all the way off, causing Cloud to make a pathetic little noise at the loss.

"Look at yourself, Cloud," Sephiroth whispered in his ear. "Do you see how much you want me?"

Cloud nodded, biting his lip. "I want you. I want to be filled by you."

"I know you do, sweetheart." Sephiroth pulled him back slightly, then pressed in again. Cloud's cock jerked at the sight of himself being stretched out again. "I want you to just relax and watch. You can come whenever you want."

Cloud did his best to relax, though it was hard; he wanted to move on his own and ride Sephiroth's cock, but Sephiroth's arms didn't grow tired as he repeatedly lifted Cloud and slammed him back down. The angle was just right to tease and torment, and Cloud cried out every time the head of Sephiroth's cock brushed past his prostate. A new strand of hair crept over his shoulder and down his chest, stopping slip into his dress and tease his nipples for a moment before continuing its journey. It wrapped itself around Cloud's cock and squeezed rhythmically.

His muscles tensed as his pleasure grew gradually, and he teetered on the brink for what seemed like ages until he suddenly snapped. Sephiroth had shifted his angle and hit his prostate dead on. Cloud gave a shout as his back arched and the tentacle rippled over his spurting cock. Cum splattered on the mirror, and Sephiroth grunted, going back to his previous angle.

Cloud went limp, and his head lolled back against Sephiroth's shoulder, but he still watched. He watched the one tentacle gently petting his softened cock, and the other cradling his balls in a soft basket of hair, still holding them up out of the way. The look on Sephiroth's face didn't match the tender actions of his hair at all. He looked almost frightening in his pleasure, with his teeth bared and his eyes staring intently at their reflection. He was absolutely unrelenting as he impaled Cloud again and again on his hard shaft.

"Hands out."

Cloud was amazed he even processed the command, but dropped the skirt and threw his hands out in front of himself a fraction of a second before Sephiroth tipped him forward and nearly crushed him under his weight. Sephiroth slammed into him violently a few more times and then stopped. Cloud could feel his cock jerking inside him and the warm spurts that accompanied the movement.

Just as he thought his arms were going to give out, Sephiroth pushed himself up and stroked Cloud's back gently. He allowed himself to be moved back up into a sitting position, and dazedly held the fabric that Sephiroth pushed into his hands.

"Lift it up, just for a few more minutes," Sephiroth said. "Don't want to get it dirty."

Cloud nodded tiredly and bundled the skirt above his waist while Sephiroth pushed himself up. He didn't pay attention to what Sephiroth was doing, instead he focused on the cum that was forming a small puddle on the carpet beneath him. It was oddly fascinating, though he wasn't entirely sure why. Sephiroth came back before he had figured it out, and kissed him softly. He took off his remaining earring, then undid the zipper on his dress and pulled it over his head before disappearing again. Cloud heard the sound of a door opening and the rustling of fabric—Sephiroth must have been hanging it up.

When Sephiroth came back a second time, he wiped Cloud's face and eyes with some cotton pads, then lifted him up and carried him into a warm and steamy room filled with dim, flickering lights. A splashing sound caught his attention, and Cloud lifted his head far enough so he could see Sephiroth stepping into a bathtub that was set into the floor. Bright red petals were floating in the water, and Cloud trailed his hand through them when Sephiroth sat down in the hot water.

"When did this get filled?" Cloud asked. It was a big tub; surely he hadn't been sitting there for _that_ long.

"Before we came up," Sephiroth answered. He wiped off Cloud's face with a damp cloth, then settled him on his lap so the water was mostly covering his shoulders, but his face was comfortably away from the water. "It's like a hot tub; the water stays at the temperature you set it to."

"Wow, that's fancy." Cloud closed his eyes, feeling extremely relaxed in the warmth and Sephiroth's comforting hold.

"Thought Claudia might appreciate it."

Gentle fingers rubbed over Cloud's scalp, and he moaned in pleasure. "No, Cloud appreciates it."

Sephiroth chuckled and kissed his head. "That's good, you just rest now."

Cloud nodded, mumbling something about how that was a good idea. He must have drifted off, because the next thing he knew, it was dark, and he was being lifted out of the water. He had trouble remaining upright when Sephiroth set him down on a towel on the counter, but Sephiroth let him lean against him while he dried them off.

When he was dry, Cloud was picked up again and carried back to the bedroom. The sheets were cool and crisp when Sephiroth set him down and crawled in next to him. Cloud snuggled up and sighed happily.

"I had fun tonight," he said. "Can I be your date again sometime?"

"Absolutely. I'm sorry you can't go as yourself, but..."

"I know. I understand, and I don't mind being a secret. Plus, it means that I get to dress up like a pretty girl and stay at fancy hotels."

Sephiroth laughed, "Go to sleep, Cloud, you're exhausted."

Cloud nodded and closed his eyes, feeling the exhaustion overwhelm him again. Just as he was drifting off, he caught another quiet whisper, but was certain he misheard. This was nice, and he knew Sephiroth cared about him, but Sephiroth didn't actually _love_ him, did he?


End file.
